Wheel cover



y "E". P. @NASE WHEEL COVER Filed Dec. 13, 3.946

. Swamp-u: @wam amis Patented May 1.948

WHEEL COVER Theron P. Chase,

Huntington Woods, Mich., as-

signor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application December 13, 1946, Serial No. 715,927

4 Claims.

This invention relates to wheel brakes for vehicles and more particularly to cooling means associated with the wheel and brakes.

OneV object of the invention is toprovide an ornamental and readily detachable wheel cover including means whereby cooling air is forceably delivered on to wheel and wheel braking means to dissipate the heat therefrom.

The combined means whereby the above object and others are accomplished will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and drawings illustrating one form of the invention.

Figure 1 is a. transverse sectional view of a vehicle wheel and braking mechanism provided with my novel wheel cover.

Figure 2 is a vertical elevational view with parts broken away and in section, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

As best illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing, the numeral l designates a wheel rim secured by fastening means 3 to wheel disk t? of dished shape. The wheel disk 5 encloses a brake drum 'i in which are brake shoes t and a brake cylinder il, including pistons for moving the shoes into frictional engagement with the internal surface of the drum in conventional manner. The brake shoes 9, cylinder il and means for moving the shoes into engagement with the drum are supported on a brake backing plate iii secured to bolts i5 on a stationary aitle housing il. The wheel disk 5 and brake drum E53 are secured by studs i9 to the hub portion 2i or' an axle shaft 2li rotatably supported in concentric relation within the axle housing lll on an antifriction bearing, not shown, in conventional manner.

The Wheel disk Si is provided with a plurality of openings in the periphery adjacent the rim I alongside the periphery o the brake drum l. A plurality of resilient attachment clips 2l are shown secured in concentric relation by rivets 2@ to the inside face of the wheel disk and are shown extending outwardly through openings 3i therein adjacent the inner face of an outwardly extending intermediate portion 32 of the wheel disk 5. The attachment clips 2i of the wheel disk 5 serve to attach a wheel cover indicated generally at 33 and render it readily detachable therefrom.

The wheel cover 33 is essentially a rotor of a centrifugal fan in form, and comprises axially spaced disks 36-35 of annular form converging radially outwardly from the center and having vanes 3l secured radially therebetween. The outer extremity of the inner cover disk Si is 2 formed so that itconforms to the outer surface of the wheel disk 5 within the boundaries of the peripheral openings 25 therein and a flanged ring 39 is secured in concentric relation to the inside wheel cover disk 35 for detachable locking engagement with the resilient attaching means on the wheel disk 5 and also for peripheral contact with the inner surface of the outwardly extending flange portion 32 of the wheel disk 5.

The periphery of the outer cover disk 3d is ilanged and a gasket 4l surrounds this flanged portion and engages ,the internal surface of the wheel rim I when the wheel cover 33 is attached to the wheel disk 5 and yconsequently the cover is retained in concentric relation on the wheel but is readily detachable therefrom.

It will be noted that the inner peripheries of the inner and outer cover disks .3d- 35 are concentrically disposed and are secured together by a suitable decorative grille d3 of annular form havngarcuate louvers d5 formed therein serving as air openings for easy entrance of cooling air into the space between the cover disks 3ft-35 between which the radial vanes 3l are secured. It will be evident that upon rotation of the wheel cover 3i with the wheel the vanes 3l force the air centrifugally outwardly of the space between the cover disks Slt-35 which are formed at their outer extremities to direct the air axially outwardly through the peripheral openings 25 in the wheel disk and axially between the internal surface of the wheel rim l and external surface of the brake drum t to cool these surfaces.

The central circular opening of the wheel cover is `closed by a suitable medallion plate i9 of circular form secured at its periphery to the inner periphery of the grille i3 and the outer cover disk it to form the decorative hub portion of the wheel cover. if desired the annular outer cover disk 3Q may be of bright metal or the outer surface painted white to further improve the appearance of the wheel cover which also serves as a centrifugal cooling fan for the wheel and braking means. v

I claim:

1. In combination, a wheel disk having peripheral openings, a rim portion secured thereto, a brake drum secured to one side of said disk, a wheel cover secured to the other side of said disk, said cover comprising inner and outer disks with radial vanes secured therebetween, said outer disk having a central air opening and in engagement with said rim whereby said cover serves to circulate cooling air through said openings in said disk on to said brake drum and cover.

2. In combination, a wheel comprising a central perforated portion having cover attaching means and a rim secured thereto, braking means secured to said central wheel portion, a wheel cover comprising outer and inner annular disks and radial vanes secured therebetweemmeans on said inner annular disk adapted to be releasably engaged with said cover attaching means to hold said outer annular disk in contact with said wheel rim and said inner annular disk in contact with said central perforated wheel portion for directing cooling air therethrough and on to said braking means.

3. In combination, a dished wheel disk having a rim, said wheel having openings therethrough adjacent said rim, a brake drum secured to the interior portion of said wheel and a wheel cover detachably secured to the exterior portion of said wheel, `said cover comprising an inner. disk adjacent the central portion of said wheel. an outer disk having a central opening and in peripheral engagement with said rim, and radial vanes secured between said disks to draw air in the central upon rotation of said wheel 4 opening oi' said outer disk and discharge the air outwardly through the peripheral wheel openings on to said brake drum upon rotation of said wheel. 4. In combination, a wheel having a central portion with openings therethrough, a rim and braking means secured therethrough, attaching THERON P. CHASE. 

